LA CAPERUCITA ROJA (LE PETIT CHAPERON ROUGE – LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD)
Illustrations by Leticia Gotlibowski based on an original text by Perrault
Pierre Perrault D'Armancour signed the first two versions of Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals (a printed one from 1697 and the handmade one dating back two years before and given to the Princess of Orlèans). His father's name, Charles Perrault, appears as the author of the book in 1721 and although numerous studies seem to confirm the fact, he doesn't mention this book not even in his autobiography.
Little is known about the son (Paris, 1678-1699) but for a police report: a few weeks after the book was published, he was involved in a street fight and caused a young man’s death.
The father’s life and works have been widely researched (Paris, 1628-1703): he was a scholar who managed to obtain King Louis XIV’ support and addressed the genres of parody and literary criticism. Academics argued that three of his verse stories for children -Donkeyskin, Patient Griselda and The Ridiculous Wishes- were a translation from the Latin (Faërne Fables).
Son and Father, the oblivion and the glory, a true story that resembles a novel.... and the veiled authorship of the eternal Little Red Riding Hood...... Should it happen today, 300 years after, it would have been considered a marketing strategy.